Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To be clear, I am not saying that anybody should be absolved of any responsibility in regard to human rights or in regard to the environment. It is about the appropriateness and the effectiveness of the regulations. As I said, 50% of companies with the biggest turnover in the EU will be affected by this directive. We need to make sure that in its implementation it is effective and that it actually does what we want it to do, rather than it being an ineffective piece of work that does not actually achieve. My concern is also that by extending it in the manner on which the Deputy is focusing, companies that are not in a position to actually make effective use of it will not be able to do so. We have to get an appropriate balance and ensure that we get the result we all want in respect of environmental sustainability and human rights. The best way to do that is to ensure it is effective.

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